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He didn’t want to fail Peyton like he’d failed Chelsea. He wasn’t fucking good at this. And yet…and yet…his heart reached for her desperately, making him want to offer things he wasn’t sure he could promise. “I can’t lose you, Peyton.”
She sat up, drawing his gaze to hers, and said firmly, “I’m not going anywhere.”
He rose up and kissed her. Gently, but wanting to do the exact opposite. Emotion leaked into the air between them. There were a thousand things he wanted to say to her, including telling her about his talk with Chelsea, and about the closure he felt in those minutes before the world fell apart around him. He wanted to explain how he felt when he saw her lying there, thinking he lost her. But all those things seemed impossible to put into words.
A sudden knock came at the door, forcing him to lean away, and Remy peeked her head in. “Hi. Can I interrupt?”
“Of course,” Boone said, then turned to Peyton, brushing her hair off her face and tucking it around her ear. “I need to go see Kinsley.”
“It’s okay,” she said, her eyes watery. “Go. Kinsley needs you too.”
“I won’t be long,” he told her.,
He pressed a kiss against her forehead, then turned away, fighting against everything inside of himself that told him to go back to her.
Remy gave him a sweet smile as he reached her. “I won’t leave to visit Kinsley until you get back.”
“Thank you.” He pressed a hand to her shoulder, then moved to the door. When he reached it, he glanced back, finding Remy and Peyton hugging.
She had good friends here. He had good friends here. This was their life, and damn, did he want to protect it.
He exited the room and said to the two armed police officers, “Do not leave this door. Do not leave her alone.” Boone wasn’t taking any chances. He had suspicions before and that almost got Peyton and Kinsley killed. Now they were staying close to him.
“No one will get through us,” Cary, a cop a few years younger than Boone, said.
“Thank you.” Boone nodded, then strode away down the hallway, seeing his father waiting outside Kinsley’s room, sitting on a plastic chair in the hallway. “Is Kinsley okay?”
“She’s awake now. She’s showering, getting the blood out of her hair.” His dad patted the seat next to him. “Take a breather for minute.”
Boone dropped down, leaning his head back against the wall and letting out a long sigh. Originally, he thought this had to do with Lauren Francis. Then he thought perhaps Peyton had caught the eye of a psychopath. Now he began to believe that someone wanted her dead. And this person coming after her was no schmuck. This attack was planned, right down to what he’d do with Kinsley. Though drugging her, and not killing her, only firmed up the assumption that someone was targeting Peyton. And that truth haunted Boone. The last thing he wanted to do was unravel, but he felt coiled, ready to snap. Fuck, if Peyton hadn’t grabbed that knife…if she hadn’t fought back as hard as she did…“I’m going to kill this fucker.”
“No, you won’t,” his father said calmly. “But you’ll put him behind bars, because that’s what we do for the people we love.”
Boone turned his head, lifting an eyebrow at his dad.
His father chuckled softly. “You think I don’t see what that girl means to you?” He paused to run a hand through his hair, scratching at his scalp. “I guess the next question is, whatcha gonna do about it, kid?”
Boone didn’t bother playing coy, he knew exactly what his father was getting at. “I’m not good at this,” Boone finally said. “I don’t want…” He hesitated, then dropped his head and admitted, “I don’t want Peyton to ever look at me like Chelsea did. I failed at all this once. Peyton is going through so much. I want her to have a husband, and a long, happy life, without more pain.”
“She’s not the only one who’s been through a lot, Boone,” Hank said. “But this woman, she’s different, and you know that.” He cupped Boone’s shoulder, the warmth of his touch battling against the chill in Boone’s chest. “It’s time to stop letting your mother and Chelsea ruin everything, son.” He gave him a gentle smile, then glanced down the hallway; Boone followed his gaze to find Rhett and Asher approaching. Boone turned back as his father said, “Peyton, she’s where
it’s at.” Hank rose. “I’ll go grab us some coffees.” He strode off and said something to Rhett and Asher before heading down the hallway.
Boone exhaled slowly through his mouth. Catch the bastard. Everything else can be figured out later.
Refocused, he rose as his friends reached him. “The girls okay?” Rhett asked.
“Both are awake and fine,” Boone reported. “I’m waiting to see Kinsley now. She’s showering.”
“Glad to hear that,” Asher said.
Rhett nodded agreement.
Boone leaned against the wall, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Please tell me you have something for us to go on,” he said to Asher.
Asher took a seat on one of the plastic chairs next to Boone, stretching out his legs. “We received the files from Adam Kerr’s car accident. I examined most of what was there, but had others look too. There’s nothing there that points to the accident being anything more than an accident.”
Not surprising. Boone turned to Rhett, who leaned a shoulder against the wall, arms folded. “And you?”
